Those fancy Middle Eastern airlines — Etihad, Emirates, Qatar and, to a lesser extent, Turkish — have been in the news a lot lately, mostly thanks to the major U.S. and European airlines complaining that they're unfairly subsidized by their governments.

Even if they missed the news, most fliers welcome the competition, lower fares and new planes with exemplary service and products. And while there probably is a case to be made that they are subsidized, rather than open that can of worms, recently I set about exploring what, if anything, sets them apart from their competitors.

Is all the hype — and fear — justified? Are they that much better than Delta, American, United, Lufthansa, Air France/KLM and the rest?

See what it's like to enjoy the high life in Etihad's first class apartments in this video.

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Etihad Airways unveiled its luxury cabins, 'The Residence' and 'First Apartment', in December. They give customers more space and privacy than any other airline.
Newslook

I was all ears and eyes on a recent trip to Abu Dhabi on Etihad.

Here are some things that made me perk up: At check-in there was one person in front of me. A uniformed employee approached me and apologized for the "long" wait (I let her know that I had been waiting for all of two minutes). She then informed me that I could upgrade my trip from business to first class for $1,000 each way. Once seated, the flight attendants took food and drink orders before takeoff so they could get us fed sooner. On most airlines, in my experience, this is done after takeoff, sometimes well after. My young and poised flight attendant repeated my selections back to me to make sure there was no misunderstanding.

Flight attendants approached each passenger and asked if they had flown Etihad before and if not, if they would like a tour of the seat with its robust massage function, extensive entertainment system and lighting controls. I was a first-timer, so I got the full demonstration. Many airlines leave this to a pamphlet, if they have one at all, in the seat-back pocket.

From the cockpit, the moment our departure time had slipped by a few minutes, the captain announced the reason for the delay. "We're waiting for five guests to show up. If they are not here in 10 minutes I will make a further announcement." (The further announcement was not necessary and we were on our way.) Such announcements aren't unheard of, but they're usually not quite as precise as this, and usually they only come after there's been a significant delay, if at all.

Buckled in, I amused myself with a channel on the in-flight entertainment that gives passengers a cockpit-eye view of the takeoff. There's also a camera on the belly of the plane.

Speaking of planes, you won't find any 20-year-old 757s or 767s when you fly Etihad, Emirates or Qatar. All three airlines fly very modern fleets, mostly 777-300ER and Airbus 380s.

Back in economy class, Etihad has added little touches like fixed wings in the seat backs to rest your head on, and neck pillows for all passengers, in addition to the usual pillows. There are orange-smocked nannies to keep kids entertained with games, puppets and puzzles, three meal choices, free wine and other niceties.

On the way back to New York, passengers clear U.S. immigration and customs in Abu Dhabi, a perk that some U.S. airline pilots protested against, feeling that gave Etihad another unfair advantage.

I flew both ways in business class, and the lie-flat seat was fine for sleeping, but not much different from, say, the business-class seats on a new American Airlines 777-300ER. I still prefer the flip-down (rather than the typical "slide down") seats on Singapore Airlines or Virgin Atlantic, since you sleep on one surface and sit on another.

Then I flew to Doha on Qatar Airways, also in business class. Again, little touches. The bottled water is Vittel from France, not one filtered from an urban water supply like you'd get on American. Ground staff dress as smartly as flight attendants, with hats and trim uniforms. Menus are presented in a leather binder. The meal, a braised lamb shank in my case, was worthy of a Michelin star or two, and the lemon tart would make a Parisian pastry chef yellow with envy. The flight attendants were all accommodating. The real eye-opener, perhaps, was Abu Dhabi's new airport, and the huge, modern and spacious lounges. They even rival Cathay Pacific's lounges in Hong Kong, and that's saying something.

So while these airlines do stand out in many departments, perhaps what really scares competitors about them is where they call home: Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Look at a map. These three airlines' hubs sit in a sweet spot allowing them to economically link any two places on Earth, with a single connection, using existing aircraft types.

They don't call it the Middle East for nothing. Want to fly Miami to Bali changing planes just once? You have one choice: Qatar Airways. Philadelphia to Guangzhou, China, with just one stop? Qatar. Geneva to Manila? Etihad or Qatar. And the list of these one-stop routes will only grow as the three big Persian Gulf carriers further expand.

That's their real competitive advantage, even more than the shiny new planes, exemplary service and flashy airports and lounges. Other than trying to keep a lid on their expansion through negotiation or legislation, or asking Boeing and Airbus to build longer-range aircraft that are economically feasible to operate, there's nothing, really, that the other airlines can do. It's simple geography.

Have you flown one of these Middle Eastern carriers? Tell us what you think in the comments section.

George Hobica is the founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. Airfarewatchdog features the best airfares on thousands of routes verified by a team of expert fare analysts.